Alphabet Challenge
by crywonder
Summary: A series of unconnected one-shots based on one word for each letter of the Alphabet. Rating is subject to change. Pokeshipping/AAML. Last upload: F for Friends.
1. Affiliation

_There's a whooole lotta game influence in this one, but I don't read a lot of game!verse fics so I'm not sure about the general fandom headcanons and whatnot. Ash's opponent is meant to be a female Ace Trainer from ORAS, because I adore that design._

 _If you feel like there's TAC influence in this then you'd be 100% right, that fic is my entire life. Enjoy!_

* * *

 **A: AFFILIATION.**

Misty stared pointedly the big screen from her seat in the League box. It was playing some ad about the latest Silph Co product and she was hardly interested, but she kept her focus on it lest anyone think her attention lay otherwise.

Like the opening of the tunnel from which the red trainer was supposed to enter.

But even thinking about it was enough to give into temptation, and she quickly glanced towards it. There was no one there, and that was to be expected – the countdown clock said there was still fifteen minutes left till start, after all.

It was for barely a second, but Lance noticed.

"You must be looking forward to this one," he commented.

She kept a straight face, eyes not moving from the big screen. "One of them could end up battling me. I'm just doing my homework."

"Is that why you're so nervous?"

"I'm anticipating an interesting battle."

"Interesting's the word, isn't it?"

She remained silent. From the corner of her eye, she could see Koga watching her carefully. She lifted her hands from her place on her lap and crossed her arms, leaning back in her seat with a deep frown.

Will chuckled. "You know, Misty," he winked, "You don't have to get so antsy. Your relationship with Ash Ketchum is no secret, especially in the Indigo regions."

Karen snorted. " _Especially_ after that news report."

Misty pinched the bridge of her nose. The report had been something her colleagues would never let her forget. Ash Ketchum, on his second tour of Kanto, had somehow managed to save the world _again_ – only this time, he ended up on the news for it. And of course, the time he got somewhat famous had to be the time Misty was involved. The boy hadn't realised the attention he'd draw when he announced he was gunning to enter the Indigo Conference _and_ casually slung his arm around an Elite Four member all in the space of a minute. An up-and-coming trainer like him alone might've been a trending topic for no more than a day; add Misty to the mix and people were talking about him for a _week_. He'd gained a small fan base by his first match at the conference, and it only grew exponentially all the way through the finals. The first few rounds had the camera focusing on Misty for a disproportionate amount of time, waiting for a nice reaction shot that could play on the news for the rest of the night. She, of course, remained stoic as was possible for her, even wearing large sunglasses that hid her cheeks and eyebrows for good measure. Soon enough they lost interest in her, and just focused on the trainer himself.

Ash had always managed to be pretty endearing on his own, anyway.

"Could you guys let that go?" she groaned.

"We're not bringing it up nearly as much as we would have if people started accusing us of favouring him over others. His battling's been fine enough for people not to be suspicious –"

" _Fine enough_?!" Misty said incredulously.

"Keep your cool, Misty," he warned before she could keep going, and she huffed and turned back to the screen. It was showing a run down of Ash's stats, first in this conference and then across his career. She couldn't help the pride that swelled up in her chest when she saw the rapid increase in all the graphs flashing across the screen. Ash may not have cared as much about stats and values as other ace competitors, but he was still doing all the right things to ensure a steady improvement in his career and the numbers showed for it.

The next screen was a comparison between Ash and his competitor. His opponent had the slight advantage, but everyone close enough to him knew better – Ash Ketchum had a habit of coming out on top when the odds were against him.

It was something Lance had picked up on, too. "Should Ash win," Lance said carefully, "And should he beat both Will and Koga, I need to know that your … affiliation with him won't get in the way of your match."

She was furious. Sure, she'd only been an Elite Four member for just under a year, but she would've thought the man who instated her into her position would have a little more faith in her. She hadn't known Ash was coming back to the Kanto when she had applied for Bruno's old position – and even if she did, it shouldn't have mattered. It _wouldn't_ have mattered.

Before she could speak up, Koga beat her to the punch. "I'm sure she'll treat him like she'll treat any other competitor, Lance. In fact," he turned to her, giving her a knowing look, "If my previous experiences with them are anything to go by, she might even go harder on him."

She'd nearly forgotten all about the fact that Koga had met them when they were both just ten years old and he was still a gym leader. Back then Ash was given most of his badges out of pity, rather than being the ace trainer he was today – and Misty hadn't had nearly the control over her temper that she had now, exploding any moment she couldn't deal with her feelings, which was often.

She shook herself out of her train of thought before turning to give Lance a hard stare. He returned the gesture, completely unperturbed by her anger, before he nodded and looked away. "And if he goes easy on you?"

She snorted. "He'd be dead if he tries that, and he knows it. You don't have to worry."

"Ouch," Karen winced, "And my boyfriends thought I was brutal when I delegated them to the couch."

Almost like they were expecting it, her cheeks started searing. "Wha–?! He's not –!" She paused to take a deep breath, "We're just friends."

"Huh. I was only joking before, Misty. I didn't realise you were actually into him."

Misty scrunched up her face in a deep scowl. Will chuckled, and even Lance cracked a smile. She was ready to retort with something snippy, when a voice came through the speaker.

" _Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Indigo Conference Final!_ "

She eyed the countdown on the big screen, which showed less two minutes remaining till the competitors came out onto the field. The announcer gave a brief – and overly romanticised – summary of both the trainers. Ash's opponent made her way out onto the field first – she was a young lady from Hoenn with green hair, wearing one of those red and yellow Hoenn League tracksuits that she'd always see a few competitors wear whenever she watched the Ever Grande Conference on TV. She didn't have much time to dwell on that, however, when the crowd went ballistic as Ash stepped out onto the field.

He didn't look much different to the last time she'd seen him, or even to the last time she'd seen him at a Conference. He still had that same determined look in his eyes as he surveyed the field, and then looked across at his opponent; Pikachu was a carbon copy of his trainer on his shoulder, and Misty could tell he was pumped and ready to go. But then, Ash did something he hadn't done in the entire tournament before – he looked up.

She caught his eye almost immediately. She wasn't sure whether she should react, especially when he was so obviously looking at her in front of thousands of people and the Kanto League Champion. But she had to do a double-take when she noticed something else in his eyes – uncertainty. Which made sense, since Misty had spent the entire conference only speaking to him through phone or text, and she kept their conversations as short as she possible could. Lance couldn't possibly expect her to not show any support for her best friend, but she could understand his reasoning and respected his wishes for the most part. Ash had insisted he understood and that she didn't have to feel guilty about it – but until today, he'd been pretty good at hiding how unhappy it made him.

So she smiled softly. And he broke into one of those stupid huge grins that split his face in two, and she felt her breath hitch in her throat. She raised a clenched fist over her chest, and Ash tipped his hat at her before shifting his gaze back to the field and moving towards his opponent to shake her hand. Pikachu finally looked up at her and shot her a small peace sign; she couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"So much for impartiality, huh?" Karen mused.

"Oh yes," Will agreed, "The press _definitely_ caught that."

Misty looked around at her colleagues, expecting them to disapprove, but they only looked amused. Even Lance, though stoic, didn't seem to be angry. She turned back to look at Ash and Pikachu, the boy kneeling down to speak to his constant companion before the match, the same grin on his face that he'd given her.

"I can't help it," she said, her own smile widening as she watched them. "He's my best friend."


	2. Brock

_This chapter is rated T for sexual references. I didn't want to change the rating so fast but turns out I can't control what I write anymore._ ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 **B: BROCK**

"Are you gonna deal with that?"

Misty looked up from her magazine, featuring a water-type pokémon with a frilly collar balancing a beach ball on its nose. She spared a quick glance at the scene that Ash was pointing to, and went back to her reading. "Nope."

Ash was getting antsy. Brock hadn't even made it to the blonde woman walking past them on the beach who was, unsurprisingly, too old for him, and Misty didn't seem intent on doing a thing to stop it. It was a break from the norm, and it made Ash anxious – he was afraid of what the doctor-in-training would do if he were left to his own devices.

"Then who's gonna stop him?" Ash asked.

Misty looked up from her magazine again, a little more annoyed this time. "Where's Croagunk?"

"In the Pokémon Centre."

"He'll be here."

Misty again returned to her magazine, while Ash watched his friend in horror as he finally made his way to the woman and got down on one knee. Ash decided he'd had enough. Brock's faithful poison-type pokémon was nowhere to be seen, so Ash stomped over to the couple himself.

"I've been to four regions and I couldn't find a girl as beautiful as you!" Brock was saying, and Ash reached over and yanked at his ear.

"And now you can stop looking," Ash muttered, pulling him away.

Misty was watching him as he dumped a sulking Brock on their beach blanket, and took his seat on the chair next to her. "Wow, Ash," she said, "That was actually pretty impressive."

Ash felt a little heat rise to his cheeks before he looked away, crossing his arms over his chest. "Someone had to do it."

"Hm." He could feel her continue to look at him for a while. "Well, thanks."

"You're welcome." He turned to look at her again, but she was engrossed in whatever she was reading.

A groan came from his other side, and Ash turned to see Brock still moping about the earlier incident. "Did you have to pull my ear so hard?"

Ash chuckled. "I'm sure you've felt worse."

"You're stronger than Misty now, you know." Brock rubbed the sore area, a deep scowl on his face. "Misty doesn't have your biceps. All her strength goes into her thighs."

"Excuse me?" In a flash, Misty was out of her seat with her hands on her hips, magazine cast aside. "What were you saying about my thighs?"

"I-I'm saying they're strong! You're a swimmer!"

Misty stared him down for a few more seconds before returning to her seat. "You're damn right I am."

They sat in silence for the next two minutes, because Misty had nothing more to say, Brock was too scared to say anything, and Ash didn't trust himself to speak up after a conversation about Misty's strong thighs. His thoughts would linger on various things about Misty more and more often lately. Brock had only said it was "hormones", which made sense because he was seventeen and his mother had told him they should've caught up with him by now. But if his hormones were making him think about Misty more, did that mean he was attracted to her?

 _Yeuch._ Too much thinking.

Ash took a quick peak at the ocean just ahead of them, where their pokémon were playing together. It'd been a while since Ash had sat by and relaxed, without having anything else on his agenda, and he wanted to make the most of it. He shut his eyes, soaking in the rays, when he felt a sudden shadow block the sun.

"Ash Ketchum?" Slowly, he peeled an eye open to find a tall, imposing female figure stand in front of him. It'd been several years since he'd last seen her, but her hair was just as distinctive as he remembered it.

He rose, ready to greet her, but someone beat him to it.

"A-ah, you must know tail whip because your beauty leaves me defenceless!" Brock blurted out, rushing to his feet, before he paused. "Lucy?"

"B-Brock?"

He could sense Misty, who was beside him, twitching and ready to move forward, when the unthinkable happened – Lucy _giggled_.

"Oh …" The woman clasped her hands together in front of her chest, a small flush of pink on her cheeks, "Did you mean that?"

"Mean what?" Brock scratched his hair, before he raised an eyebrow. "Oh! Of course I did! You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen!"

As Lucy's blush deepened, Misty leaned to the side, whispering so only Ash could hear, "What just happened? Is that Pike Queen Lucy?"

"Uh, yeah." Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "I had to battle her for the Luck Symbol in the Battle Frontier. But I don't remember … this."

She shrugged. "Not that you would if anything happened, anyway."

"Hey! I might've been dense, but at least I always knew what Brock was up to."

"You're still dense, Ash."

"You know what –"

"Hey, guys!" They stopped immediately, moment killed along with any other irritation Ash was feeling, as they faced Brock. "Lucy and I were heading out to get ice cream. Wanna come along?"

"Ice cream?" Ash asked, "I'm always up for –"

"Actually," Misty cut in, pulling Ash back by the elbow, "We're tired. But you guys go on ahead!"

"Cool," Brock said, as Lucy looped an arm through his, "I'll see you guys at the hotel?"

"Sure! Have fun!"

Once they were far enough that Ash was sure they wouldn't hear, he yanked his arm away from Misty. "What the hell was that for? I wanted ice cream!"

"And _they_ wanted alone time," Misty rolled her eyes. "Ash, Brock only asked because he was being nice. He didn't really want us along."

"It's just us. Why does Brock have to be nice?"

"I suppose he's trying to impress Lucy."

"Why? It's not like he's ever involved us when he's flirting with girls before."

He received an incredulous look from Misty in response, and he placed his hands on his hips and pouted. He still wanted an answer. Misty sighed.

"He just asked her out on a date."

Ash blinked a few times. "Brock has a date?"

"Well, he asked her out."

"But Brock's gotten ice cream with us plenty of times. Were we on a date with him?"

"Don't be stupid, Ash."

"I've gotten ice cream with you plenty of times. Were those dates?"

Misty pushed him with a little more force than she normally did, forcing him to stumble backwards into his beach chair. He looked up at her, mouth forming a small 'o', as she crossed her arms and turned away from him. It'd been a while since she'd been this violent with him – years even. As they'd grown older, they'd resorted to verbal bickering rather than anything physical.

"That hurt," he complained.

"Don't be a baby," she huffed, slipping her sandals off and placing them neatly next to her chair. "I'm going to check on the pokémon. They must be hungry after all that playing."

"I'll come with you," Ash said, starting to get up, but he was pushed back into his seat again. "Hey!"

"You're staying right here," she grumbled.

"What's your problem anyway?" Ash glared, and then something clicked in his head. "Is the idea of going out on a date with me _that_ bad?"

Misty flashed him a started look, and Ash regretted opening his mouth. He'd spoken without thinking. He didn't even know why he'd brought it up. It was a passing comment, but some part of his subconscious had decided to stay fixated on it. And he supposed that same part of his brain thought Misty was thinking about it too, but judging from the look on her face, she obviously hadn't been.

At least, that was what Ash decided.

"Do _you_ think it's a bad idea?" Misty finally managed.

"Obviously," Ash replied, a little too quickly.

Her eyes narrowed. "Really."

"Uh …" He gulped. He'd always been a terrible liar. He'd never cared because he'd never felt the need to lie, but at that moment, with Misty's eyes trained on him and waiting for an explanation, Ash _knew_ that the universe had let him down.

He rubbed the bottom of his nose, eyes looking everywhere but at the girl in front of him. "Well … it can't be _that_ bad, can it? I-I mean, we've hung out plenty of times, a-and we have a lot of fun together, right? At least … I uh … I like spending time with you. That's what dates are, right?"

Misty had a look on her face that was completely unreadable. There was no sign of any kind of emotion on her face, and it was making him nervous. "Yeah," she said, "That's what dates are."

"Yeah," he finished lamely. He was ready to suggest heading back to their hotel, if only to avoid the situation getting any more awkward, but his feet wouldn't budge. "So … whaddaya say?"

She blinked. "What?"

What he really wanted to do was yell "SIKE!" and run far, far away, and pretend none of this ever happened. But he supposed he was past the point of being in control of his own words and actions now, and he might as well ride the wave till it all came crashing down. "Wanna go on a date with me?"

Misty's cheeks grew a little pink, and Ash took comfort in the fact that he was making her as uncomfortable as he was. "Y-you can't just ask a friend out on a date like that. There are … implications."

"I know." He shifted in his seat, pointedly looking at the ground. "I'm … w-well, I'm okay with them i-if you are."

He didn't know where that came from; it was certainly news to him. Not even fifteen minutes ago Ash wasn't even sure if he liked Misty like that, and here he was asking her out on a date.

… But maybe he was lying to himself, and he _was_ aware that he was attracted to her. He certainly thought she was pretty all those years ago at that festival at Maiden's Peak, and these days he thought she looked good without even trying. He used to secretly like it when she would cling to him every time she got scared. He'd never liked the idea of Misty going out with someone else, and his calls with her always gave him a funny feeling in his stomach.

He was forced to look up when she took a seat on the chair next to him, her legs hanging out the side so she was facing him. Her face was flushed much like Lucy's had been earlier and she was biting her lip, looking down at her feet, and Ash found all this far too endearing for comfort.

"I don't mind," she said, finally catching his eye.

"You don't?" he breathed.

"Naw," she smiled, and Ash let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "We're alone now, anyway. And we're hanging out."

"Right!" He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it a little bit. "So, um … this is a date, then?"

"Sure." She reached out and punched him lightly in the shoulder. "You know, I'm surprised you actually know what a date is."

He snapped out any nervousness he had, suddenly very offended. "Hey!"

She only laughed. She rose to her feet and held out a hand to him. "Wanna go out to the water?"

"Sure," Ash shrugged, taking her hand and letting her pull him up. He was about to kick his sandals off when she leaned up and placed a light peck on his cheek. She squeezed his hand before letting go, turning away and rushing towards their pokémon.

"Last one there's a rotten egg!" she yelled, goading Ash to get to his feet and run after her.

ooOOoo

It was well past dinnertime by the time they stumbled back into their hotel room. Brock sat on the bed, arms crossed and looking very unimpressed.

"Brock?" Ash asked, "You're here already?"

"I am," he nodded, "Why weren't you two answering your calls?"

"Oh!" They jumped, both whipping out their pokégear. Ash noted seventeen missed calls, and he suddenly felt guilty. "Sorry," he said, "We didn't realise you'd be back for dinner."

"I didn't want to leave you guys hungry."

"Ash bought me dinner," Misty said, prompting Brock to finally look down as their intertwined hands. He jumped off the bed; his eyebrows could've hit the roof.

"You … you guys got together?"

Ash felt the blood rush to his cheeks, but he boldly pulled Misty closer to him anyway. "Well, we did go on a date, so … yeah. Is that okay?"

"Is that _okay_?! Do you know how long I've been trying to make this happen?"

"… You have?"

"Of course I have! I wasn't about to put up with all those years of sexual tension for nothing!"

"Sexual tension?!" Misty spat, and Ash suddenly inched away from her.

"Sorry, _denial_. You guys are way too young to be having sex, by the way. Wait till you're at least twenty-five. And married."

Misty hid her face behind her hands. "Brock …"

Brock scratched his chin. "I think that just about covers what Delia wanted me to say. Anyway, now that that's out of the way – forget getting married! You guys are plenty old enough. Just give me a warning if you mean to get down to business, okay? Put a sock on the door or something, I can scram. I can hang out with Lucy!"

"Brock," Ash started weakly, but Misty beat him to it.

"Please stop talking," she groaned, running a hand through her hair.

"Sorry," Brock chuckled, "I'm just excited for you guys, you know? It's been a long time coming." He slumped a little. "I just wish I could've helped."

"But you did help!" Ash exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, if it wasn't for you and Lucy, I probably would've never asked Misty out."

"Yeah," Misty grinned, "So thanks, Brock."

Brock's lower lip wobbled a little, before he launched himself forward, wrapping his arms around both of them. "You're welcome! I can't believe you guys are growing up so fast!"

"Okay, okay!" they laughed, twisting and fidgeting under his grip until he let them go.

"Well," he said, ushering them towards the small kitchenette that came with their room, "I did make all this food, if you guys are still hungry."

Ash, of course, was always hungry and wasn't about to turn down more food. Misty agreed, and they sat themselves down while Brock ladled stew into a pair of bowls.

"And," he added, "I want to hear all the details about your date."


	3. Cooking

_This ended up being more one-sided amourshipping and friendship than anything, but the pokeshipping is very much there! I promise!_

 _There's implied contestshipping and wishfulshipping, and fourthwheelshipping if you want. (You don't have to read it that way if you don't want to.) Enjoy~_

* * *

 **C: COOKING**

"Is something wrong?"

Serena wanted to tell him that no, absolutely nothing was wrong, and _that_ was the problem. But how on earth was she supposed to approach that?

Ash had just moved to Indigo Plateau after winning the title of Indigo Champion, and this was Serena's first visit. She'd built up her own little idea of what Ash's bungalow would be like in the short taxi ride from Viridian City airport – a sink full of dishes, a few clothes strewn around, the faint smell of pokéfood and a stash of ketchup hidden somewhere. Ash would greet her with Pikachu on his shoulder, and maybe his other pokémon would be around too.

What she didn't expect was Ash announcing that she'd arrived right on time for his meat and vegetable potpie.

She was sceptical when he placed a serving of the meal in front of her, because it didn't look like a disaster. In fact, it looked and smelt just fine. And then she took a bite, and she found that it tasted better than any potpie she'd had in her life. And for someone born and raised in Kalos, this was a very big deal.

"No … nothing's wrong," she said, shaking her head. "Ash, this … this is amazing! Where did you learn to cook like this?"

Ash's worried expression quickly melted into a wide grin. "My mom sent me a few recipes for when I moved here, since she's not here to cook for me and all." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I mostly get takeout. I just thought I'd throw something together since you're my first guest here. It's a special occasion, you know?"

"I suppose," she tilted her head, fighting the small blush rising to her cheeks. She knew not to make too much of his statement – she'd given up hope of Ash reciprocating her feelings years ago. "But this is really, _really_ good. You should cook at home more often, Ash! You have a lot of talent."

"Naw," he shook his head, "It's my mom's recipe that's really good. I just followed it."

"But it takes a lot of talent to follow a recipe and do it well," she pointed out, "I might be great at baking, but anything I make that's not a dessert is just mediocre. I don't have it in me. But for someone who rarely ever cooks," she gestured to her plate, "This is incredible!"

"You really think so?"

Serena nodded. "I do! If your mother's as good as you say she is, then you've obviously taken after her."

He gave her a crooked grin, rubbing the tip of his nose. "Well, gee … thanks, Serena. That means a lot to me." He picked up his knife and fork, pulling his plate closer to him. "So if it's that good, I better dig in, right?"

-oOo-

As Serena recalled the memory, she was further confused by the incredulous looks from the girls around her. They'd been staring at her silently for a good minute at this point, and she was at a loss for words.

"No offense, Serena," Iris finally said, breaking the ice, "But you're still not entirely over your ridiculous crush on Ash, so we can't trust you."

" _Iris_ ," May hissed, "Misty could be back from the bathroom any minute."

"I'm only stating the obvious. Misty probably knows."

"Wha –?" Serena spluttered, throwing a nervous glance towards the direction of the bathroom, "N-no! I'm not biased! I'm from _Kalos_! I think I know good food when I see it. And I'm definitely over him." But no one was convinced on either statement. It was distressing, because this was the one time her bias towards the guy didn't sway her opinion, and they _still_ didn't believe her. "Has … has Ash never cooked for you before?"

May and Dawn exchanged a look, but Iris was the one who spoke up again. "I've only been here once, and that was with Cilan. He did all the cooking then."

"That's what happened with me and Clemont too," Bonnie nodded, "And when I was at the Indigo Conference last year, he just took me to the stalls and bought extra for breakfast. He said he was too busy to cook me anything, but I was okay with that."

That was plausible – as Champion, the Indigo and Silver conferences were always busy for him. But Serena still pressed on. "What about you, Dawn?"

"I make sure I only visit him when I know he's in Pallet Town with Delia," she admitted, "Especially after the wasabi fiasco …"

"The wasabi fiasco?" Misty walked into the room, asking the question already on Serena's lips. Neither Bonnie nor Iris seemed to have heard of it either.

May shifted in her seat. "Well … it was that time Drew and I visited Ash and we'd just missed you. And …"

"May cried," Dawn interrupted.

"There was a lot of wasabi. Way, _way_ too much wasabi."

Misty went pale. "And this was just after I'd visited?"

"Mhm!"

"Then … that wasn't Ash's cooking."

Dawn furrowed her brow. "Then whose was it?"

"It was mine."

Everyone's expression melted into one of complete understanding. Everyone in the room had been subjected to one of Misty's signature dishes at some point, and they all had an interesting story to share about it. Serena felt bad for her – it had come to the point where the redhead didn't even bother denying how bad she was.

"Hey Misty," Iris said, moving the conversation elsewhere, "You live with Ash now. Haven't you ever tried his cooking?"

Misty laughed and rubbed the back of her neck, a habit she'd obviously picked up from her boyfriend. "Actually, we usually just get takeout. Ash spends so much time training he never gets the time to cook, and I … well."

Everyone nodded solemnly.

"So he's never cooked for you even once?" Serena asked. She found it hard to believe anyone could live with someone for three months without having ever tried their cooking. She'd even tried the cooking of every single girl in that room at least once, and the only one she'd ever travelled with was Bonnie. "What about Valentine's Day?"

"I pretend I'm craving pizza," Misty admitted. "He only ever cooked once when his mom was over and she asked him to. I pretended Daisy had an emergency in Cerulean City. I'm not sure a leap of faith towards Ash's cooking is one I want to take."

"Won't he think that's kinda suss?" Dawn asked.

Misty shrugged. "It's Ash. He just wants to make me happy, I guess."

This prompted wistful sighs from both May and Dawn, and even Serena felt her own heart melting a little, but Misty just rolled her eyes. "Oh, like he wouldn't do the same for you guys."

"Definitely not on Valentine's Day," Iris snorted.

"I'd hope he's not doing anything for you girls on Valentine's Day," Bonnie said, eyeing each of the girls around her, and Serena laughed. Bonnie always seemed to find a way to involve herself in other people's love lives.

"Wait a minute!" May exclaimed, holding her hand up for everyone's attention. "Do you smell that?"

And they all stopped and lifted their noses to the air. And smell they did. Whatever it was took Serena back to the first time she was in Kanto, the first time she'd ever met Ash all those years ago. It reminded her of a particular soup she'd had for dinner at that summer camp that she'd found herself enjoying more than she had during her time so far. Serena had come to the region not very enthusiastic about its cuisine, but that dish had changed her mind completely.

It wasn't long before May flew off the couch and drifted towards the kitchen. Serena would have followed immediately if she hadn't noticed everyone else exchanging hesitant glances. One by one, they got to their feet and reluctantly trailer along.

"Don't touch that, May, it's –" she heard Ash yell from the kitchen, followed by a high-pitched scream. "… It's hot."

They ran into the kitchen to find May slumped over in the corner of the room, clutching her forefinger. Serena heaved a sigh of relief when she noted that May seemed dejected more than she seemed hurt.

"Hey guys!" Ash said, hands on his hips as Pikachu carried a stack of mismatched plates over his head and towards the table. "I was just about to go get you. Dinner's all ready!"

There were murmurs of acknowledgement around the room, and Ash's face fell. "Is everything okay? Did something happen?"

"Not at all!" Serena piped in, giving him a bright smile, "We're just really hungry is all."

"Awh, well," Ash laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm sorry I took a while. I had a bit of an accident, but it's okay! I fixed it."

Everyone's face morphed into an expression of alarm, and Serena couldn't help it – hers did too. An accident? And Ash fixed it? That could never be a good thing. She started to wonder if the pie she'd had was a one-time thing, a fluke that she'd had the fortune of experiencing. Suddenly she felt very, very silly for gushing about his cooking the way she did.

Soon they were all seated around the dinner table, all with a bowl of some kind of Kantonese noodle soup in front of them. Serena thought it looked exactly like the noodle soup she'd been given all those years ago, but she couldn't be too sure she was imagining things. Pikachu had made himself sparse and gone to the living room to feed with a few of Ash's other pokémon. The trainer in question stood at the head of the table, looking at all of them expectantly.

"Well? Go on and dig in!"

No one moved, and Serena exhaled through her nose. She picked up her fork before anyone else made a move for their chopsticks, and dug right in.

"Mmf!" Serena's eyes widened as she slurped the noodles down, "Ash, this is really great!"

"It is? I thought I put way too much salt …"

"No, no," she shook her head quickly, and looked out at everyone else. "Here, you guys have to try it!"

The other girls looked at each other, before all moving to have a taste of it themselves. Slowly, one by one, their expressions relaxed.

"Oh my goodness …" Dawn whispered, "Ash … this is …"

" _Incredible!_ " May gasped, and proceeded shovel the entire meal into her mouth. "Please tell me you have more!"

"O-of course," Ash said, reaching for her already empty bowl.

"Wow, this is as good as my brother's cooking," Bonnie said, "It might even be better! I bet Clemont would be jealous!"

"I think Cilan would want to hire you," Iris added. "Maybe you aren't such a little kid after all."

He frowned. "Iris, I'm twenty-six."

"Still! I sure couldn't cook like this at your age."

"You're twenty-four."

"Whatever."

Ash shook his head, before giving everyone a nervous grin. "So, you guys really liked it huh? It was my first time making it and I wasn't sure how it would turn out."

"Are you kidding?" Dawn raised an eyebrow, "This is as good as your mom's food!"

"Mmph!" came from May.

"That's exactly what I thought all those years ago," Serena chuckled, feeling a little satisfied that everyone was finally seeing her side. "Remember, Ash?"

"You did too, huh." But Serena noticed Ash's eyes flicking towards a particular redhead. It might've been sweet that he cared so much about her opinion, but Misty had been strangely quiet the entire time. She looked to her side to see her drinking all the soup from the bowl.

Evidently she was enjoying herself, and Ash was too nervous to tell. Serena rolled her eyes internally.

"So, Misty," she offered, because she knew Ash never would, "What do you think?"

Misty still managed to make gulping down an entire mouthful of soup look elegant. When Ash had first described the girl to her, he painted Misty as a scrawny tomboy with legs too long for her body, and who couldn't control where her limbs went unless she was in the water. The Misty she'd ended up meeting was definitely nothing like the image her friend had painted.

"I can't believe you've been holding out on me for this long," Misty chastised him, giving him a firm glare while everyone else laughed.

"Y-you always want take-out!" Ash waved his arms in the air, "Even on our anniversaries!"

"Why didn't you tell me I was making a mistake?"

"B-because?" Ash scratched his head.

"Well," Bonnie said, resting her chin on her hand, "I guess Ash'll be spending more time in the kitchen from now on."

"You bet he will!" Misty nodded at her, before turning back to the chef, "You're cooking dinner three times a week from now on!"

"But _Misty_ ," he whined, "I've got training!"

"Don't be a baby."

"Wow," Iris mused, "I take it back. You're still a little kid."

Dawn nodded. "But you know what? I think I'm going to move to the Indigo Plateau."

"Me too!"

"Me three!"

"Count me in!"

"You wanna move into our house?"

"Ash, no …"

" _Yes!_ " May jumped out of her seat. "I'll bring Drew!"

"And bring your brother," Bonnie said, winking at the older coordinator.

"I'd bring Cilan but … I think he'd get jealous."

"I guess I'll bring myself," Dawn shrugged.

"Dawn, not you too!" Misty groaned, burying her head into the table. Serena reached out to pat her on the back.

"There, there," Serena whispered, "I'm not moving in."

"Gee, thanks."

She looked around the table, seeing Ash occupied with May and Bonnie's tales of what they'd do while living with Ash, while Dawn and Iris looked on amused. Misty still had her face on the table, but she was covering her head with her arms now.

"Maybe now you guys will _trust_ me when I say Ash can do something right," she muttered to herself, thinking no one would hear her.

"Nope," Misty said, voice muffled from behind her elbows, "Sorry, Serena, but you can't be trusted because of your ridiculous crush on Ash."

Serena jumped from her seat. "Are you serious?!"

* * *

 _I started writing this one a few months ago after reading a bunch of fics with my friend where Ash was a hopeless cook, and I joked that it'd be funny if he actually ended up being an amazingly talented chef and no one knew about it. My friend mentioned that probably only Serena had tried it, and no one believes Serena because she's 110% thirsty for Ash. I fell in love with the idea but I thought it was too short to put in its own fic, so I shoved it in here._


	4. Don't

_My initial idea for this was really angsty, but the angst felt too forced and I went with something lighter instead. Even so, I've edited and rewritten this way too many times and I had three people read over it to make sure it's okay. I think I'm happy with it but I'm also not sure so fingers crossed? Enjoy?_

* * *

 **D: DON'T**

Misty's laughter chimed through the air while Ash slumped over the old boot in his hands.

"Oh, oh!" she gasped, struggling to speak, "Misty! I bet this one is way bigger than yours!" She mocked him – almost cackling by this point – and Ash only frowned further.

"It's pretty much the same weight, okay?" Ash grumbled, yanking the hook of his lure out the top of the boot. "It's got all this seaweed and stuff in it. It made it about as heavy as your weedy little goldeen."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure the goldeen I caught was larger than average."

"Whatever."

She bit her lip. "You just need to relax. If you're just going to focus on trying to get a bigger catch than me, you're not going to pay attention to what you're actually reeling in. If you had, you'd know there was no resistance."

"Hm."

She sighed. "Ash, you know I wasn't laughing _at_ you …"

"Oh yeah?"

"Okay, maybe a little. But come on, you should've seen the way your expression changed! You would've laughed at me too. You _do_ laugh."

He turned to look at her properly now, fully intending to glare at her and retort that he'd never be that rude. But the minute he saw the smile on her face, it broke his resolve. "Maybe."

"Relax, okay? Don't turn this into a competition. We don't have a lot of time left together before you go train with Leaf and … I just want to enjoy this. Without having to argue with you."

They sat together in silence after that. It wasn't the comfortable kind of silence they'd shared when they had first perched themselves on that particular rock to start their day fishing; the air was thick with things that neither of them could bring themselves to say. They stared at the river ahead of them as soon as Ash cast his line, almost fierce in their plight to ignore each other.

Ash had been personally invited to train on Mt Silver for a year with Leaf Greene. Her story was almost legendary – she beat the Kanto Champion himself a few decades ago at the mere age of ten, but instead of taking the reigns herself, she chose to train in the most dangerous parts of the Indigo regions. At the time it was so she could continue to improve until she was old enough to become the region's Champion, but hardly anyone had heard from Leaf since she'd disappeared. The story had been told to children all around Kanto time and again, and a few trainers who survived the trek through Mt Silver claimed to have seen her at various places near the top of the mountain.

It was difficult enough to find the woman. How Ash had managed to convince her to let him train with her, Misty couldn't fathom. And he was unwilling to elaborate on the topic – Leaf had made him promise not to – so Misty would probably never know.

"I could delay it, you know," Ash said, finally breaking the silence.

Misty jerked her face towards him. "What?"

"Mt Silver isn't going anywhere. I might not get the chance to train with Leaf again, but how much of a difference is that going to make?"

Misty stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "Ash, it's _Leaf Greene_. Be reasonable."

"Alright, alright, but …" he shook his head, "Look, I'm training to tour Kanto again anyway, and the League doesn't start for another year."

"A few days ago, you were really excited about training with Leaf."

"I am! But –"

"Then what? Are you getting cold feet?"

"No, that's not it." He slumped forward, taking one hand off his fishing rod to run it through his hair.

Misty waited patiently for him to continue, but Ash hesitated, reluctant to say whatever was on his mind.

"So what is it?" she prompted softly.

Ash took a deep breath, sneaking a glance in her glance in her direction. "Being here … with _you_ …"

Misty's eyes widened. Ash noticed, and his throat suddenly went dry. But he knew he couldn't stop there.

"I miss you," he said quickly, before he could convince himself not to. "A lot. I always did." After a pause, he added, "More than I miss most people."

He caught her eye and Misty gulped. She held his gaze for a few more seconds before she had to look away. "Don't," she croaked.

Ash blinked. "What?"

"Don't," she said, much more firmly this time.

Ash let his hurt show on his face for a brief moment, before he quickly shook it away. Misty winced.

"It's not that …" She bit her lip. "Are you seriously going to put your dreams on hold for me?"

"I'm not putting it on _hold_ –" Ash started too protest, but she was having none of it.

"No way, Ash. You've been given an offer by Leaf Greene. _Leaf Greene_ , who is so legendary there are people who think she doesn't actually exist. And you want to turn her down?!"

"I could've still found her and asked her again." He hesitated. "I-I know where she is."

Misty raised an eyebrow in shock, before shaking it off. "Why do you have to do that at all?"

He frowned, about to open his mouth again, but she knew what he was about to say and frankly, she didn't want to hear it. She _couldn't_ hear it.

She shifted a little closer to him, careful to leave enough space between them to not make anything awkward. "I know … sometimes there are things you really want to do. Or feel you need to do, even. But that doesn't mean you _should_."

Ash eyed her warily. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Mr Pokémon Master, you have a once in a lifetime opportunity lying in your lap just waiting for you to grab it. Clearly Leaf sees something in you that's worth it. This could be the final step to you becoming a Pokémon Master, and you've wanted this for longer than I've known you! Don't tell me you're letting yourself get distracted by a silly fishing contest."

A small smile broke out on his face against his will. "I thought we weren't turning this into a competition."

Misty only shrugged, throwing him a sly grin. Ash pursed his lips, before nudging her in the shoulder.

"Maybe I'm just distracted by the company."

"Well don't be."

Ash opened his mouth to respond when they were both distracted by a sudden tug on his fishing line. He didn't bother claiming he'd make a better catch than his friend this time, having learnt his lesson from earlier, and it was probably for the best – he ended up reeling in the tiniest magikarp he'd ever seen.

"I'm gonna catch it," he said, whipping out a spare pokéball.

"What?" Misty's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why?"

"Look at it! It's tiny." Ash threw his pokéball at the fish pokémon and watched as it rolled around till it was captured. "It wouldn't last a day."

"I think that's called natural selection, Ash."

"Natural what?" Ash asked, but then he shook his head. "Never mind, I probably won't understand." He rolled up his jeans and waded into the water to retrieve his newest capture. "Do you want to keep it?"

"Huh?"

"I'm going to miss your birthday, right? And I can't exactly send you a present from Mt Silver."

"So you're giving me this runt of a magikarp?"

Ash smirked. "Yeah. I figured you'd know a thing or two about runts."

Misty raised an eyebrow as Ash chuckled. She finally caved, prying the pokéball out of Ash's outstretched hand. She shrunk it down and placed it on her belt, right next to the Goldeen she'd just caught, as Ash took his seat again beside her. They kept a more comfortable silence this time.

Finally, Misty nudged Ash on the shoulder. "I miss you too."

"You do?"

"Mhm. Every day." She leaned over and forward so that she could catch his eye. "More than I miss most people."

Ash didn't say anything, a small smile growing on his face to something even bigger. Satisfied, Misty straightened back up in her seat.

"So does that mean …"

"Don't," she repeated. Ash blinked, but she held a hand up to stop whatever he was about to say. "After you win the League, okay?"

He nodded, relaxing back in his seat. Misty always kept her promises, and he'd hold her to it. For now, he sat quietly in wait for his next catch – that is, until he got bored. With a smile on his face and a glint in his eye, Ash flicked his foot sideways in the river so that it splashed sideways in the water so that it splashed across Misty's shorts.

"Ash, _don't!_ "


	5. Evolution

_This one was killing me, because I couldn't figure out what I wanted it to be about. I'm not sure I like it but a few of my friends said it was pretty good, and I really just wanted to get it over and done with. So ... enjoy, maybe?_

* * *

 **E: EVOLUTION**

"Oh no you don't!"

May stared at her lap, previously occupied by a large bowl of fresh popcorn, in horror. Dawn had it in her hands now, and she lifted it high above her head. "Dawn!" she whined.

"Nuh uh! You'll finish the whole thing before the match even starts! This is for all of us, you know."

"I don't have an endless supply of popcorn," Misty added.

"I promise I won't finish it this time!" May pleaded.

"Max warned me you'd say that," Dawn said, quietly removing herself from her seat next to May on the couch and sitting on the armrest instead. "Sorry, May, but we just don't believe you."

May's face started to redden as she clenched her fists, and Dawn rose to her feet and took a step back. Misty decided it was time to step in.

"Oh, look!" she exclaimed, pointing at the television, "The battle's about to start!"

Thankfully, the match really was about to start. Dawn took her seat between Misty and May, the latter grabbing a fistful of popcorn and shoving it into her mouth all at once. They leaned forward in their seats, watching as the camera panned over the large stadium.

The three girls had gathered together to watch Ash's first battle in the Kalos League. Both May and Dawn were in Kanto to take on the contest circuit, and they stopped over in Cerulean City right on time for the first round. Misty had closed the gym for the day; she wasn't going to ruin their get-together by running off to battle challengers the entire time. She'd worked hard over the past year and had earned a day off.

"Why is he carrying a guitar?" asked May, "Can you even do that?"

"There's no rule against it," Misty confirmed, "But I don't see why he'd bring a guitar in the first place."

"Maybe it's just his style," Dawn mused. "When I first started travelling, I met a guy who always carried a lyre."

" _Huh? What's this? Ash Ketchum hasn't appeared on the battlefield!_ "

"What?!" All three of them stared at the TV screen, where Ash was nowhere to be seen.

"This isn't like him!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Maybe he's in trouble?" May suggested, "I've never known Ash to just not show up to a match like this. Especially not a League match!"

Misty frowned. She _had_ seen him decline to turn up, many years ago in the Indigo League. Team Rocket had captured him then, and last she heard they were still following him around.

He'd gotten out of that one by himself, so hopefully he could get out of this one too.

"If he doesn't show up, that's an automatic win for the other guy, right?" Dawn asked.

Misty nodded. "And Ash's Kalos League is over. If he doesn't come soon, he won't even make it past the first round."

Dawn hid her face in her hands. "Oh, brother."

May bit her lip as the referee stepped forward – she was sure he was ready to call the match. "No …"

" _The time is up,_ " the referee started, but he was interrupted almost immediately.

" _Wait up!_ "

" _Pika pika!_ "

The voice was deeper and cracked more than they were used to, but it was unmistakeable.

"Typical Ash," May shook her head.

Misty sighed. "Looks like his timing hasn't changed."

After he'd run out onto the field, however, their jaws dropped.

"Arceus …" Misty muttered under her breath.

"Is that Ash?!" Dawn gasped.

Ash's face looked normal enough. It was a little less round than the last time any of them had seen him in person, but that was something they'd all had the opportunity to get used to as they got to see him over the videophone. At any rate, that change was barely noticeable compared to the rest of him.

As he appeared on camera, Ash stood nearly half a foot taller than he used to be. His shoulders were much, much broader, in a way that made his t-shirt and jacket fit tighter around his torso. He wasn't _buff_ , per se, but it was easy to tell he'd put on some muscle. He'd made a habit of working out with his pokémon in recent years, but now that puberty had seemingly caught up to him and allowed his body to develop …

"I think he evolved," May whispered. Any other day a comment like this would've had her friends in fits of laughter, but now they could only nod solemnly.

"Do boys even grow like that?" Dawn asked.

Misty shook her head. "I don't know. He never had a growth spurt, did he?"

"He definitely wasn't this tall when I met him last year," Dawn mused. "And it's not just his height, is it? I mean – look at him!"

And look they did. He was giving some dramatic speech about being a pokémon master that barely registered with them, and probably didn't need to anyway – each one of them had heard it a million times before.

"I'm glad Drew isn't here," May murmured. Her friends nodded in response, before the statement sunk in.

"May?" Misty asked, a slight edge in her voice.

Dawn placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

May jumped. "Did I say that out loud? Oh dear." She shook her head. "I love Drew but this," she gestured at the screen. "This is too much. Oh Arceus, that's _Ash!_ "

"I know what you mean," Dawn sighed. "This is making me uncomfortable."

Misty remained silent once again, not trusting herself to say anything. She was uncomfortable too, but for entirely different reasons. Neck down, Ash looked like a completely different person; could other aspects of his character have changed too?

May nudged her gently. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Misty replied, a little too quickly. "Let's just watch the match."

"Woah, what pokémon is that?" Dawn asked, pointing to the one Ash had just sent out.

"That's Greninja, a water type." Misty rubbed her chin. Ash had always kept her updated on the status of whatever water-type he'd caught during his travels, so she knew he had managed to fully evolve it. "Huh, funny he used Greninja right off the bat. I heard he was really powerful."

Ash's opponent's Altaria started with a dragon pulse attack, which had everyone almost off their seats as the attack hit. Greninja seemed fine enough, but Altaria quickly followed through with a draco meteor, and things weren't looking too good.

Greninja's eyes suddenly glowed pink, and the girls watched in awe as both pokémon and trainer moved in synchronised movements until a burst of water obscured Greninja from view. The frog pokémon proceeded to dodge every single meteor falling towards it like it was _nothing_.

"Wha–?" Misty started, before her words got caught in her throat. The water had disappeared, now, leaving the water-type looking different to how it had just a moment ago.

May dropped the fistful of popcorn that she was holding, the kernels falling all over her lap. "Is that mega evolution?"

"Doesn't that need some kind of stone?" Dawn asked.

"Two of them. A key stone for the trainer and a mega stone for the pokémon. I don't see either."

"That's weird." Dawn bit her lip, moving to grab some popcorn for herself, when she paused. "Is it just me or … does Greninja look a little like Ash?"

" _Greninja! Water Shuriken!_ "

Altaria was out cold almost as soon as Ash called the attack. They stared dumbstruck as the announcer declared Greninja the winner, neither of them unable to say a word.

Dawn finally broke the silence. "Well," she said, letting out a breath she didn't even realise she was holding, "That was something."

"That was incredible," May agreed, "Max would've loved that! I wonder if he was watching it. Hey Misty, can I use your phone?"

They turned to find Misty with her hand on her chest, her eyes glazed over and a light film of sweat on her forehead. "Misty?"

Her head snapped towards them, and she leapt out of her seat. "Did you guys see that?! I don't even know what it was, but it was amazing! I always knew Ash was good at unlocking his pokémon's real power, but I didn't realise he was _that_ good! But of course it'd be a _water_ -type pokémon that would be able mega evolve without a stone like that … if that even was mega evolution. I can't believe Ash never told me about this! I'm going to call him right now–"

"Whoa, Misty, hold up!" May grabbed the redhead before she could move. "Ash's match hasn't finished yet! They still have two more pokémon to go."

Misty froze for a few seconds, blinking twice, before she slumped and gave May a sheepish grin. "Oh, yeah."

May slapped a palm to her forehead as Misty slunk back into her seat. Dawn rolled her eyes.

* * *

Ash's match was over almost as quickly as it started, as was the rest of the Kalos League. Somehow, for all his power, Ash still hadn't managed to secure a win – he was beaten by some guy with a Mega Charizard – but he still managed to make it to the finals, further than he ever had in a tournament before. He had to feel good about it.

And so he did. It showed on his face when he burst through the door and gave his mother a hug to rival an Ursaring. Misty watched on from just in front of the kitchen as his mother kept gushing over him, suddenly feeling very shy. In her excitement over watching Ash and Greninja in his last match, Misty impulsively called Delia up to let her know she'd be coming to Pallet Town when Ash was done with the league, but as the hype wore off she started to regret it. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Ash; she hadn't seen him in person since he was still travelling the Battle Frontier, years ago. But seeing how much Ash had changed physically had made her think about all the other ways he'd changed, too. Was he even the same person she'd befriended all those years ago?

It was ridiculous, considering she'd been in regular contact with him all this time and nothing had ever felt weird on their calls. But she wondered all the same.

"Pikachupi!" The shriek yanked her out of her thoughts as a yellow ball of fur bounded into her arms, already wide open out of instinct.

"It's good to see you too, Pikachu!" she exclaimed, holding the pokémon close.

"Misty?" Ash asked, a little dumbstruck, looking exactly like he had when she'd come to visit him after the Hoenn League.

"Surprise," she grinned, but the surprise was on her when he strode towards her and wrapped his arms around her, Pikachu and all.

She and Ash had always had a very physical friendship. They touched each other often; by accident, on purpose when they were fighting or trying to help each other, when they were scared or trying to stop each other from doing something stupid. It was never weird – it was just something that needed to be done. But they'd never _hugged_.

This was different.

"Sorry," Ash mumbled as he pulled away from her, but still kept her at arms length. "It's just … it's been _years_. Aren't you busy with the gym?"

She narrowed her eyes. "It has, and I am. But if I remember correctly, you've had plenty of time to visit _me_ whenever you were in Kanto, haven't you?"

"Uh … well, er –"

She swapped a knowing look with Delia. "Never mind, Ash. It's not like I expect much from you anyway."

"Hey!"

It was all too familiar; the same easy bickering their arguments had turned into as they grew up with each other.

"Well, Ash did only stay overnight before leaving for Kalos," Delia mused. "He was so excited to leave, he didn't even think about anyone else!"

Misty watched as Ash's shoulders slumped, a guilty expression taking over his face. His mother must've noticed too, because she walked over and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Are you hungry?"

Ash brightened up considerably. "Am I ever!"

"I'll have dinner ready in ten minutes. I didn't expect you home so early." She ruffled his hair. "Why don't you and Misty take this time to catch up?"

"That'll be nice," Misty nodded. "I'm sure Ash has plenty to brag about after the League."

"I just can't catch a break, can I?" he muttered under his breath, making both Misty and Pikachu laugh heartily.

Conversation was easier than Misty expected. Ash was an endless pit of stories, no doubt because the last time she'd called him had been between his seventh and eighth badge. As the Kalos season drew to a close, the Kanto season had just begun, and though Misty had fought for her gym to have a higher ranking – it now had the same prestige as Saffron and Cinnabar – there were still enough beginner trainers cocky enough to try their luck with her at the start of their journeys. Between tales, there would be short silences – especially after Delia called Pikachu away for his food – but they were never awkward and didn't last long before Ash found more to say. Sometimes she'd catch his eyes roaming over her face, and once her figure, and it would make her equal parts embarrassed, pleased and furious. It always happened just as she started to think Ash wasn't all that different, and she'd been worrying in vain all this time.

"Misty?"

She jumped. "Huh?"

"You spaced out for a minute there." His brow furrowed. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, a little too quickly. He raised an eyebrow, and she sighed. "I was just … thinking."

"About?"

"How you evolved."

She said it before she could stop herself from running her mouth.

"Huh?"

"Changed!" Misty's eyes darted away from him. "You've grown. Ah, May was the one who said you evolved."

"May?"

She shifted in her seat. "May and Dawn were staying over at the gym during your first League match."

"May said I evolved?"

"Well, look at you! Look at your … shoulders!"

He blinked, taking the time to look down and inspect himself. "My shoulders?"

"Yeah, and you're tall! And –" Misty gasped, squinting at his face, "Is that _stubble_?"

Ash ran a hand over his chin and looked away – his hands had grown bigger too, she noted, and they were large enough to cover his cheek.

Large enough to hide the flush of pink that had spread up there.

"It's not like I can just decide when puberty hits me."

"You know what puberty is?"

He shot her a glare. She raised her hands up in defence. "Look, it's not necessarily a bad thing. You just look the same over the phone, so it surprised us."

"It's not like I've changed that much anyway," he grumbled.

"Still sending out bug-types against pidgeys, huh?"

He let out a low, dry laugh. "I sent out a water-type against a fire-type and it still lost."

Misty's face softened. "Ash …"

"It's fine," he said, smiling slightly. "I was upset at first but … I thought about it on the way home, and there's no point, is there? This is the furthest I've ever gotten in a League. I should be proud of myself." He clenched his fist. "And next region, I'm just going to have to win!"

Some small part of her brain was aware that she was looking at Ash with a stupid grin on her face, but she didn't even care – he sounded so much like the Ash she'd grown up with, so much like the Ash she'd come to … care about very deeply.

He might've evolved, but he hadn't changed so much after all.

"Okay, you two," Delia's voice chimed in from behind them, and they turned to find her standing at the kitchen entryway. "I hope you're ready for my Pallet special noodle soup!"

Ash leapt to his feet. "I haven't had that in forever!"

"Me too!" Misty exclaimed, but she got up much more slowly. She expected Ash to lead the way to the kitchen as usual, but she looked around to find him staring at her instead.

"What?"

"Nothing!" Ash shook his head. "I just … uh, your hair." He rubbed the bottom of his nose. "It looks nice. Wanna go eat? I'm starved!"

Misty blinked as he fled the scene, not sure if he was excited for the soup or if he just wanted to run away from her. She bit her lip.

Then again, maybe change wasn't such a bad thing.


	6. Friends

_This is more of a platonic Pearlshipping fic than a Pokeshipping one, so ... sorry? I was struggling to find something for this letter so I just morphed another story idea I had and made it a pokeshipping one for this challenge. I've read an alarming number of fics that demonize Dawn, regardless of whether she's Misty's romantic rival or not. It makes me sad because she's such a great character!_

 _Also wrote this because I have a very good friend who is male, and a lot of people assume we're dating. Someone once told me that we're probably going to end up together because of how close we are, and it pissed me off. You'll see a lot of that in this fic._

 _Enjoy :)_

* * *

The tip of Dawn's tongue stuck out between her lips as she stared down at her toes. Each one need to be painted with perfect precision; Dawn didn't want to spend anymore time staring at her toes than she needed to. Toes were gross.

"I find it hard to believe he's 'just a friend' if you're painting your toenails for him," Ursula remarked, causing Dawn to blow at her fringe.

"I'm not painting my toenails for _him_ ," she huffed. "I'm painting them for myself, because I want pretty toenails to match my pretty fingernails. Okay?"

"Sure. If you tell yourself that enough times, you might actually believe it, too."

"Whatever, Ursula."

Why was she stuck in a Pokémon Centre with Ursula, of all people? Sure, she was the only coordinator Dawn knew who was competing in the Johto contest circuit with her, but it's not like they got along.

Didn't Ursula have enough money not to bunk at pokémon centres anyway?

"So what time's your date again?"

Dawn groaned. "It is not a date!"

"Fine," Ursula rolled her eyes. "What time are you meeting Ash, then?"

"Six thirty." She kept painting, not paying her rival any mind. "He's picking me up at the station."

"How sweet."

Dawn grit her teeth, forgetting that her tongue had poked itself out of her mouth again. "Ow …"

Ursula laughed. "Nice one, Dawn. I'm sure Ash is going to find that _real_ attractive."

"Why are you so insistent on him being my boyfriend or something?" Dawn dipped her brush back in its bottle and twisted it closed a lot more aggressively than needed.

"Are you seriously trying to tell me there's nothing going on between you guys?" Ursula crossed her arms. "I mean, you travelled with him for forever. And you're going to have dinner with him. Just the two of you."

"There's nothing going on between us."

"You're close, aren't you?"

"Of course."

"Then there has to be something going on between you." Ursula relaxed back in her seat, crossing her legs and staring at Dawn with a sly smirk on her face. "Everyone knows a man and a woman can never be just friends."

"That's the dumbest thing I ever heard!"

"Is it? How many of your relationships with a guy are strictly platonic?"

"Brock."

"That tall guy who was travelling around with you guys in Sinnoh? Too old, doesn't count."

"Barry."

"Gay."

"Kenny."

Ursula only raised an eyebrow, and Dawn had to fight a sigh. She might've only seen Kenny as a friend, but she wasn't stupid – she could read his crush on her loud and clear.

"You're not a lesbian, are you?"

"What?" Dawn waved her hands in the air. "No! I'm pretty sure I'm not a lesbian."

"Then you've got a thing for Ash. Or he's got a thing for you. Who knows, maybe you'll both fall in love with each other, in the end." Ursula twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. "It's inevitable."

Dawn didn't think it was so inevitable, but she kept it to herself. Let Ursula believe what she wanted to believe; they weren't friends, and Dawn didn't have to waste time proving her wrong.

* * *

The walk to Goldenrod station and to her seat on the magnet train had done wonders for Dawn's irritation. Ursula was far, far away by now, and she'd hopefully be long asleep by the time Dawn got home. Dinner would go down normally, and she'd have nothing interesting to report to Ursula in the morning.

 _Good_.

"Oh my goodness!" came a familiar squeal from the aisle, "Dane, is that really you?"

"It's Dawn," she muttered, but not too testily. Lyra might've been absent-minded – and Dawn certainly couldn't see herself spending extended amounts of time with her – but she never meant any harm. "You heading to Saffron too?"

"Yeah!" Lyra took a seat next to her. "I've been travelling Kanto, but I thought since I was in Saffron City I might as well take a quick trip back to Johto and visit my family. And now I'm on my way back to Kanto. This magnet train sure is convenient!"

"Sure is! I don't even feel like I'm travelling between regions."

"Which is why I didn't feel bad taking the break! Say, why are you heading to Saffron anyway?"

"I'm meeting a friend," Dawn said coolly. She knew what Lyra could be like.

"Anyone I know?" Lyra asked.

"Uh … remember Ash?"

Lyra's smile suddenly turned mischievous, and Dawn slapped a hand to her face. _Oh, brother._

"I remember Ash, alright! How could I forget your cute friend? Is he still single?"

"As far as I know –"

"Oh but that doesn't matter as long as you're around, right?" Lyra leaned in, nudging Dawn's side. "Are you meeting him for dinner? Is it a date?"

"It's not a date."

"But you want it to be, eh? You like him, don't you? I always knew you did, I called it all those years ago."

"I don't – seriously? You're still on that?" Dawn shook her head. "I don't like Ash like that."

"Suuuuure you don't!" Lyra tapped her chin. "And I'm sure he likes you back too. A man and a woman can't be that close and not fall in love, after all."

…

Seriously.

"Look, Lyra!" Dawn jabbed the other girl in the shoulder, making sure she was listening, and she was listening _well_. "I do not like Ash, and he does not like me back! We are _just friends_ , we always have been and we always will be!"

Lyra blinked, but was otherwise unfazed. "Jeez, Dane, you don't have to get so defensive. We're gal pals, so we're supposed to confide with each other."

Dawn took a deep breath, and pinched the bridge of her nose as she breathed out slowly. She was in public, and she wasn't going to lose her temper at Lyra, who only meant well.

She was too old for this.

"Listen –" she started, but her words died in her throat as she saw a tall man stop at her row. He tapped Lyra on the shoulder, and she jumped.

"You're sitting on my seat," he said, and Lyra scurried to her feet, allowing him to sit down.

"That's my cue to get going!" she said, throwing Dawn a wave. "It was nice seeing you again, Dane. Good luck on your date!"

"Later," Dawn murmured weakly and sunk into her seat. Maybe it wasn't time away from Ursula that she needed – maybe it was time away from people in general. Or at least, anyone she knew.

Well. Except one person.

Dawn quickly punched a number into her Poketch, and the call finally connected after a few rings.

"Hello?" Zoey's voice came through.

"Everyone thinks I'm going on a date with Ash."

"… Are you?"

"No, Zoey," Dawn sighed. "I'm just meeting up with him for dinner. I was at Goldenrod for a contest anyway, so I thought it was a good opportunity to catch up. And now everyone thinks it's a date."

"Who's everyone?"

"Ursula and Lyra."

"That doesn't sound like everyone."

"Both of them kept telling me that a man and a woman can't be just friends, apparently."

Zoey burst out laughing. "A man and a woman can't be just friends! That's the straightest thing I ever heard! Hey Candice, get this – Ursula thinks Dawn and Ash are dating because a man and a woman can't be just friends!"

" _What?"_ Footsteps were heard as Candice made her way to wherever Zoey was situated. "You're joking, right?"

Dawn hated that her Poketch only had a speakerphone, and their conversation could be heard by anyone sitting in her vicinity. She was already receiving a glare from a young mother across the aisle, and Dawn sunk into her seat even further.

"H-hey Zoey?" Dawn said, a little quieter, "I think I'm just going to text you, okay?"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I'm just on the magnet train right now."

"Oh, I get it. Am I making homophobes squirm in their seats?"

"Um –"

"Well, good! Because –"

Dawn hung up on Zoey before she could say anymore. The man sitting next to her was glaring at her from the corner of his eyes, and she glared right back – her conversation wasn't even as uncomfortable as the elbow he had jutting into her personal space.

Her Poketch vibrated – it was a new message from Zoey. As she read it once, and then over and over again, her expression morphed into one of horror.

 _Ok but in all seriousness Ursula might have a point_.

Dawn started to type an angry response when another text came in: _Hear me out. We know /you/ don't like Ash but who's to say he doesn't like you? I'm not saying it's because guys and girls have to end up liking each other but when people are close with people they COULD be attracted to, things can happen. Does Ash like girls?_

Dawn pouted. Ash, like her? She was pretty good at being able to tell when people were attracted to her – Kenny and Conway, for example.

And did Ash like girls anyway? Now that she thought about it, she wasn't actually sure. He certainly never paid any attention when girls were interested in him, but …

 _I don't know_ , Dawn typed out. She sent the message, wanting to type more but deciding Zoey might have more to say.

 _Did he initiate dinner?_

This was an easy response, and Dawn typed it out quickly: _Yep. He was in Saffron, so he offered to pick me up from the station so we could have dinner._

As Dawn typed it out, she realised how it sounded. But there was no other way to put it, since that was exactly what happened – she'd given him a call to let her know when she'd reached Goldenrod City, just like she always did when she reached the destination of her latest contest. He'd already told her he might be in Saffron City around the same time, and she'd been expecting to hang out.

Now that she thought about it, Ash only asking her to meet up for dinner was a bit odd – normally they planned to spend the entire day together, along with Brock or May or someone else they knew. Ash hadn't mentioned anyone else coming to this dinner. Was it …?

Dawn shook her head. Of course it wasn't a date! Ursula and Lyra had just gotten to her head. Her Poketch vibrated again, and Dawn checked out Zoey's latest message.

 _Sounds kind of like a date to me_

Another vibration: _Candice also thinks it's a date_

 _You don't know Ash_ , Dawn sent back. _He doesn't have a romantic bone in his body_

She hardly had to wait for a response this time. _Yeah but he knows Brock, and we all know which romantic bone Brock relies on the most_

Yuck. Dawn didn't need to think about that right now. She was having enough trouble thinking about being on a date with Ash.

 _Anyway Candice says I'm spending too much time on my phone so let me know how it goes ok?_

 _Will do_ , Dawn sent back, and finally put her Poketch to rest.

This was going to be one _long_ ride.

* * *

By the time the train had arrived in Saffron City, Dawn was in a bad, _bad_ mood.

And of course, Ash wasn't even at the station yet. _Typical._

She'd been waiting around for fifteen minutes when he finally swerved into the pickup area in his swanky red convertible, no doubt one he subconsciously bought to one-up Gary Oak – they may have gotten along well now, but their rivalry was far from dead.

"Hey, Dawn!" he exclaimed, waving her over, "Get on in!"

"You're late," she said as she yanked her door open and took her seat.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, sorry about that. I left late, but I tried to go faster so I could get here on time, and then I got pulled over by the police." He gave her an embarrassed smile. "And then I nearly crashed into this girl's car."

"Who even gave you your license?"

"I'm not that bad, I promise!"

"Okay, Ash, you better be right." She did a quick scan of his car. "Where's Pikachu?"

Ash grimaced. "He's a little sick, actually." He shifted his car into drive and started pulling out of the station. "We got caught up in a rainstorm and I think it messed with his electricity levels. He's feverish. But he's at the pokémon centre now, so he's in good hands."

"Are you sure he'll be okay on his own?"

"I didn't want to leave him alone at first, but we haven't seen each other since the Indigo League!" He threw her a quick smile. "Pikachu wanted me to come, anyway. Is it okay if we drop by the pokémon centre after dinner?"

"Of course! I miss the little guy."

"But not me?"

"No, not really."

Ash pouted, making Dawn giggle, but she couldn't help but think of what this meant.

She and Ash were completely alone for dinner, and it was worse than she'd imagined. Sure, she'd kept Piplup in his pokéball, but it was only because she couldn't have him out on the train; she'd intended on bringing him out at dinner anyway. She'd expected Pikachu there at least, if no one else. It was still a trio, and after all the conversations she'd had today, she could still handle it.

But it was just her and Ash, and her and Ash alone. Just the two of them.

 _Alone_.

The restaurant was a short drive away and it wasn't anything fancy, which Dawn was thankful for since she hadn't dressed for the occasion. Neither had Ash, she noted, but she didn't expect him to dress up anyway. Not for dinner.

Probably not for a date, either.

Conversation flowed easily. As far as Dawn could tell, Ash wasn't acting odd, or strange, or doing anything unexpected of him. He didn't look nervous; he actually looked completely relaxed. He talked about food; he talked about pokémon – the usual. If anything, it was Dawn who was nervous; she was vaguely aware of her thumbs twiddling, her ankles crossing and uncrossing themselves, her inability to look Ash in the eye completely.

"Can I let Piplup out?" she asked suddenly. It was completely irrelevant to his spiel about burgers, and Ash blinked a few times.

"Uh, sure."

Dawn hastily rummaged through her purse for Piplup's pokéball and quickly let him out onto the table.

"Lup!" The indignant pokémon turned on his heel and started chastising Dawn for keeping him in his ball.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Dawn waved her hands in the air. "I just couldn't have you out on the magnet train!"

"Piplup!"

"Actually, ma'am," a voice said, and Dawn, Ash and Piplup jumped to find a waitress standing at their table. "We don't allow pokémon outside their pokéballs in the restaurant."

"What? Why not?"

"It's just our policy." The waitress paused to give them a very obviously fake frown. "Sorry."

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" Ash asked.

"Oh, no! You don't have to do that!" Dawn sighed. "Piplup, I'm sorry but –"

"Piplup!" The water-type turned crossed its flippers and turned away.

Dawn sucked on her teeth as she pulled his pokéball back out. "C'mon, Piplup, they're gonna kick us out of here! I'll make your favourite poffins when we get back to Goldenrod!"

"Dawn'll let you out soon," Ash added. "We're going to meet Pikachu after dinner."

That caught Piplup's attention. Dawn used the distraction to catch Piplup in his beam and call him back into his ball. She gave the waitress an apologetic look. "Sorry about that."

The waitress chuckled. "It's fine. Newer pokémon can be difficult to manage."

Dawn had had Piplup for nearly ten years at that point, but she decided against pointing that out.

"Can we place our order now, or …?" Ash asked, impatient for his food as always.

"Of course!" The waitress got her notebook out.

"What would you like?"

Ash gestured at his menu. "I'll have two cheeseburgers and a, uh … fet-too-kine Alfred."

The waitress swapped a quick look with Dawn. "The fettuccine alfredo?"

"Uh, sure."

Dawn could see the judgement on the waitress' face as she turned back to her. "And for your date?"

Dawn blinked once. She blinked again. She let her breath escape slowly to her nose before opening her mouth to speak, but Ash beat her to the punch.

"Oh no," he said, frowning, "She's not my date."

Dawn took another big breath so this time she could heave a sigh of relief.

"Not his date," Dawn smiled, her body finally released of the tension that was building up over the last few hours. "We're definitely not dating."

"Okay," the waitress smiled back, but her eyes were telling Dawn that she didn't really care. "What's your order then?"

* * *

Dinner went down without a hitch from that point on. They spent the time catching each other up on all the things they never told each other over the phone, and finally going over Dawn's strategy for her next contest.

The drive to the Pokémon Centre was a little more eventful, however. Dawn really had to wonder how in hell Ash managed to get his license as the man navigated hastily around sharp turns, accidentally ran red lights and somehow almost crashed into a garbage truck, all in the space of fifteen minutes.

"I don't want to be anywhere near your car again," Dawn breathed.

"Aw, but it's a nice car!" Ash whined.

"Gary's is better."

"You –" Ash spluttered, flabbergasted. "What?! It is not!"

Dawn only shrugged in response to Ash's alarmed expression, and he growled. "That Gary …"

"Focus on the road, Ash," Dawn warned. "You want to get back to Pikachu in one piece, don't you?"

"It doesn't matter, we're already here."

And sure enough, Ash was pulling into one of the few parking spaces in front of the Pokémon Centre.

"That was quick," Dawn murmured.

"I tried to get a restaurant closer to the Pokémon Centre. Most of the eating places here are further away from all the trainer facilities, but I didn't want to be so far away that I couldn't get back to Pikachu in case of an emergency."

Dawn's eyes widened. "Could there have been an emergency?"

"I don't think so. It's just a fever." Ash grimaced. "But you can't be too careful, I suppose."

The automatic doors opened for them as they made it to the front step, but Dawn put a gentle hand on Ash's arm, stopping him.

"I'm really sorry you had to leave," she said. "We could have rescheduled."

Ash shook his head firmly. "I was only supposed to be in Saffron in one night anyway. And like I said, Pikachu wanted me to go. I was just going to call you here, but he insisted." Ash kept walking forward. "Besides, I called backup, and she should be –"

"Ash!" Right on cue, a tall redhead in the waiting area jumped to her feet and came running towards them. "And Dawn!"

"Misty?" Dawn asked.

"When did you get here?" Ash breathed. "I didn't think you'd be able to make it."

"Me neither," Misty confessed, "But Violet came home from her Pilates class early, so I dumped the gym on her before she could even get a word in. She's not the strongest out of my sisters, but she'll do for a few hours."

"So you can't stay long?" Ash frowned.

She pursed her lips. "I'm sorry, Ash." She placed her hands on her hips. "But you were already gone by the time I got here, and they wouldn't let me see Pikachu! Why didn't you pick up your pokégear?"

Ash did a quick patdown of all of his pockets, and then grinned sheepishly. "I guess I left it with Pikachu."

Misty rolled her eyes at the same time Dawn muttered under her breath: "Typical."

Misty's attention was suddenly diverted to her presence. "Sorry, Dawn. How are you? The last time we met was …"

"Indigo League," Dawn finished for her. The _only_ time she'd ever met Misty was when Ash won the Indigo League – which was weird, considering they were both equally close to him.

Misty nodded, and wrapped her arms around herself. "So, uh … did the two of your enjoy your date?"

Dawn's breath hitched. The word 'date' replayed in her head, louder and louder each time until it was the only thing she could hear or see or think.

And she'd had enough.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Dawn growled out before Ash could even get a word in, pointing a finger at the redhead. "You listen here and you listen close, Misty! Ash and I are just friends, nothing more and nothing less! And just because he is a boy and I am a girl and we are _close_ , doesn't mean we have to be dating! It doesn't mean we have to be attracted to each other!"

"Yeah!" Ash took a step forward, although he didn't sound quite as indignant as Dawn. "We're definitely not dating!"

"And anyway, I have standards."

"Hey!"

"I'm sorry," Dawn rolled her eyes, "You're sweet, but I can't even think about being attracted to you."

Ash muttered under his breath, "Me neither, but that doesn't mean I have standards."

"You mean to say it doesn't mean you _don't_ have standards."

"No, I meant – oh … wait …"

"I'm going to step in before Ash hurts himself," Misty interrupted. "Pikachu?"

"Right!" Ash jumped, and strode straight towards Nurse Joy, not even bothering to look back and see if the girls were following him.

"That was quite the reaction," Misty mused.

Dawn quickly let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "I've had a long day. I really don't like him in that way."

Misty stared at Dawn for a while, and Dawn felt like she was almost being examined. "I believe you."

"Good. I actually feel a little bad for the girl that ends up with him. He's sweet, but his hygiene habits are a little …"

Misty chuckled. "Don't I know it." She licked her lips, watching as Ash negotiated with Nurse Joy and gestured to the two of them, no doubt asking her to let them in. "I guess whoever it is would have to whip him into shape, huh?"

Dawn squinted up at Misty's face, then at Ash's receding figure, and back at Misty. Dawn had never paid much attention to romance – she'd never needed to. But it didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on here.

"I'm sure you'll manage," Dawn replied casually. She watched with a glint in her eye as Misty's expression went from confusion to alarm, and then went beet red.

"N-no … I wasn't – I-I'm not –"

"Good luck, though," Dawn trilled, a sweet smile on her face. "You'll definitely need it."


End file.
